Unlikely Attraction
by xCyaniide
Summary: Severus Snape finds himself attracted to someone he really shouldn't have been attracted to. A set of drabbles for the 30 drabbles in 30 days challenge
1. Saturday the 1st

Severus Snape had never shown any interest in _her_ before. Not once. Yet today, her eyes were like sapphires. Big, bright, sapphires. He found himself staring raptly at them, wanting nothing more than to be able to stare at them forever. He knew he couldn't do that, though. It simply wasn't allowed. She loved the werewolf, not him. And it was the werewolf who made her eyes as beautiful as sapphires. It was him she was watching, never Severus. He merely continued to go unnoticed.

Her eyes suddenly changed, becoming more harsh, black and empty. Severus came out of his fantasy land and his own eyes swept to the werewolf she had been watching. A slight frown appeared on his lips when he saw the werewolf hugging the dog and he looked back at the beautiful woman who was madly in love with the creature that was known as Remus Lupin. How he could ever push her away was something Severus would never understand. Equally, he would never understand his love of the dog, Sirius Black either. But Nymphadora Tonks would be happy one day, he would be sure of it.


	2. Sunday the 2nd

Another day, another meeting. It always worked out that way when the Order were concerned. He was only glad that the Dark Lord was less persistant with chasing up his Death Eaters. On the positive side of things, he could at least stare at Tonks some more. It was one of the few things that kept him sane at those meetings.

However, the surprising thing was that Tonks was also watching him that day. And he felt rather on edge at having her eyes on him throughout the meeting.

He planned to leave as soon as possible but Tonks had other ideas; "Severus!" she called as the meeting ended and the rest of the Order began to disperse.

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to her and hating the empty look in her eyes.

"Can we talk?" she asked and Severus felt his heart racing.

"Of course," he replied as coolly as he could manage, gesturing for her to go into a side room where few people ever seemed to go. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I need some advice and I don't know anyone else who knows Remus and Sirius as well as you... I know your relationship with them wasn't.. erm.. A good one..." she trailed off, looking up at Severus as if asking for permission to go any further.

"Okay..." he said, showing she could go on.

"Who would you say Remus loves? Me or Sirius?" she asked, a hint of hurt in her voice when she said the name of her uncle.

"Love? What do I know about love?" he asked, looking slightly confused but upon seeing the pain in her eyes, he asnwered the question, "Honestly? I think he loves Sirius," he replied. He didn't think it, he knew it. He didn't want to hurt her too badly though.

"Thanks," she mumbled quietly and turned and walked out. Severus frowned as he realised she was now more upset but as the dark mark on his arm began to burn, he knew he had to leave. The Dark Lord wanted him for something.


	3. Monday the 3rd

The following day there was actually no meeting for the Order of the Phoenix, yet Severus felt himself being drawn to Grimmauld Place. It felt like it had been years since he had last seen the woman he now seemed to be constantly fantasizing about, yet in reality it had been less than a day.

He walked into the kitchen as he usually did whenever he went there and found her sitting alone at the table. His heart leapt a little as he realised he was alone with her. "Erm, are you okay Tonks?" he asked her, using her prefered name rather than her first name for once.

Tonks looked up at him and the emptiness in her eyes felt like hundreds of daggers breaking him apart, yet he didnt react to it. "You were right," she replied simply, sighing and getting up. She went out into the hallway and he heard the door slam shut.

"Damn," he murmered, sitting down in one of the seats and staring at the place she had been sitting.


	4. Tuesday the 4th

Severus had decided he had done far too much damage to Tonks already in the past three days, even though he had barely done anything at all, so rather than trying to find her again he went for a walk in the sunshine; something he rarely did. He much prefered the darkness, yet somehow she made him welcome the light if it meant he got to see her.

He walked towards Hogsmeade, away from the castle for the first time in weeks when he wasnt on business, and found himself in the main street before he had even realised he was there. His mind had been elsewhere.

As his mind came back to reality, he realised someone had just said his name. That someone was the pink haired auror whom he was suddenly madly in love with. "Hey, SEVERUS!" she shouted, a little louder this time and he turned to look at her.

She looked happier that day which made him almost smile, then he realised he would never have smiled at her so he held back the urge to do so and simply replied, "Did you want something?"

She walked over to him and passed him a note, "Read it later, just please agree?" she asked, almost pleaded. Severus frowned but nodded, supposing it was probably something to do with an Order meeting.

-x-

Later on, Severus had arrived back at his classroom after having a drink in the pub and he remembered that note. He took it out of his pocket and smiled to himself. Tonks' handwriting. He would recognise it anywhere.

_Dear Severus,_

_Please meet me tomorrow night at 11pm outside the gates to the castle. I really need to talk to you. Alone._

_Tonks x_

Severus read it, then re-read it and he couldnt understand what she could possibly want to see him under the cover of darkness for. He was glad to be seeing her of course but his mind would be working over-time until the following evening. And the 'x' at the end, what was that supposed to mean? Maybe she put it on all her notes? That was probably it..


	5. Wednesday the 5th

Severus' nerves had been building all day. Why on Earth would Tonks want to talk to him in the dead of night, alone? By the time 10.30pm got there, his heart was beating so hard he was sure she would be able to hear it.

He walked to the gates a few minutes early, just in case he came across any students he needed to send back, and he let himself out of the castle. There, he found Tonks already waiting for him in the moonlight.

"Severus, you came!" she exclaimed in nothing more than a whisper.

"Of course," he replied dryly, almost as if he hadnt had much choice in the matter but secretly he had been more than happy to be there. "Now why did you drag me out here at this hour?" he asked, attempting to sound annoyed.

"You prefer the night, you told me that ages ago," she replied, that same hint of hurt in her voice as had been there when he had said he thought Remus prefered Sirius. His only reply was a slight nod so she continued, "I... Well, I just wanted to see you..." she admitted, looking at the ground for a few seconds.

"Why?" Severus asked as it was very rare for anyone to willingly look at him if they didn't have to do so.

"You always seem so.. Lonely?" Tonks replied cautiously. "And... Well, it seems like I'm going to be alone a whole lot more now seeing as Remus has told me he wants nothing to do with me," she choked, close to tears. "Would you put up with me randomly coming to see you for a while? It's just... You're the only one who was honest with me about Remus and I don't feel I want to talk to the others," she babbled.

Snape waited for her to finally stop talking and then said, "If you feel like I'm really the only person you can talk to, I suppose I can tolerate that." Secretly, it was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. He was even smiling for the first time in a long while. He wouldn't tell her that though, of course. That would ruin his whole persona.

"Really?" she asked, sounding more astonished that he would put up with her when Remus wouldnt than anything else.

"Of course," he replied simply, feeling even more surprised than Tonks was when he felt her arms going around him. After a couple of seconds, he reacted and gently hugged her back. "Mention that I'm being 'nice' to anyone though and you'll regret it," he added sharply.

Tonks grinned, her hair going a brighter shade of pink although the darkness hid that from Severus, "What, and ruin my reputation as someone who only likes fun people? No thanks," she joked and Severus smiled again to himself. Perhaps this would work out okay in the end.


	6. Thursday the 6th

The following morning, Severus woke up with a smile upon his face for the first time in as long as he could remember. That smile soon vanished when he saw the note on his bedside table with the typical "Order Meeting" style to it. He frowned, getting out of bed and pulling his robes on again. He yawned, temporarily wondering why he was so tired. He soon remembered though when he realised he would be able to see Tonks again.

Those thoughts were extremely short lived, however, as he then remembered he would also have to see all of those fiery orange haired lunatics that were the Weasleys. He despised them. And worst of all, according to the note it would just be a few of the Weasleys and a few staff members from Hogwarts there. No Aurors. Just Remus, Sirius and the Weasleys. He groaned. His worst nightmare coming true already. Why did she have to avoid meetings all the time? It made them so boring as he had nothing to stare at then.

He sighed as he picked up his pot of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and then reappeared in the fire place at Grimmauld Place. He frowned when he found himself entirely alone with Sirius and Remus. Great. This meeting would be great. Just great.


	7. Friday the 7th

It was finally the weekened. Severus had marked all of his papers the night before so that now he could have the day off to go to Hogsmeade. He knew Tonks didn't usually work at the weekend but he quite liked the thought of going there anyway. She might just happen to be there, in which case he would insist on keeping her company. Hopefully she would be alone.

Unfortunately for him though, when he arrived there was large numbers of Aurors swarming the area and he stood no hope in hell of finding Tonks. He was really beginning to feel deprived, having not seen her for several days now, but he guessed the following day would be a dead cert. An Order meeting involving every member of the Order. Sure, he hated seeing all of the others but to see Tonks made it all worthwhile.


	8. Saturday the 8th

Severus walked into Number 12 with an expression that almost resembled a smile plastered across his face. Tonks was the only thing on his mind and, as he had so desperately desired, Tonks was already there. His eyes darted around the room and found that she was, in fact, alone. It was amazing, almost blissful, to be alone with such a beautiful woman.

She must have noticed him staring at her, though, "Evening Severus," she said, looking at him slightly oddly.

"Nymphadora," he responded, shaking his head a little. "I apologize, my mind is elsewhere," he added curtly as he moved to the other side of the room and sat down, mostly to hide his clear attraction to her.

"Is everything alright, Severus?" she asked, a concerned look on her face as she moved over to him and sat down opposite the seat he had sat down in.

At that point, more people began to arrive so he simply nodded. Speaking to her was more than enough for him for one night, and it made him feel wanted when she had returned his sentence. His heart and insides felt nice and warm for once and he felt as though nothing could make him feel his usual self again.

That was, until Sirius and Remus walked in. At that point, his heart sank again. This was going to be a horrifically long night again. He really needed to speak with her alone again some time.


	9. Sunday the 9th

The following day brought with it another Order meeting, followed by a meal for the members of the Order cooked by Molly Weasley on the Monday. The majority of people had to work on the Monday but Albus had volunteered Snape to stay there overnight and then go to the meal. He wasn't particularly pleased about it and it showed in his mood on that Sunday, even though the meal wasn't for more than 24 hours yet.

The meeting was pretty much the same as it always was; just an old man talking about his ideas. Severus had great respect for Albus but sometimes, he really got annoyed by him. What made the meeting even worse was the fact that Tonks wasn't there. She hadn't felt well so had chosen not to go, much to the disappointment of Severus. He had to actually avoid groaning at how boring it would be if he couldn't even stare at her.

His mind was brought back to the present time again though when the meeting was over. He was out of his seat in a matter of seconds and heading for the door, only to be stopped by Albus. "Don't forget, you're staying here tonight," he said to him and he groaned, this time out loud.

"Albus, I really have some work I need to do back at the castle," he protested with a glare.

"I don't care, Severus, you work too hard. You're staying here no matter what," he said, clearly stamping his foot down this time and Severus reluctantly sat down. This was going to be a long, boring, night.


	10. Monday the 10th

The following day Severus awoke early, finding himself somewhere he temporarily didn't recognise. He then remembered he was forced to remain with the Weasleys and the few Order members with nothing better to do for that entire day. He sighed heavily as he pulled himself out of bed and grabbed his robes. He hated wearing the same clothes for two days in a row but it seemed he had no choice.

He slowly trudged downstairs and into the kitchen, finding himself alone there. Thankfully, he might actually get some time to himself that day after all. The front door then clicked open and he inwardly groaned, wishing they would all just- Oh. It was Tonks. That made things entirely different.

"Morning Severus," she said irritably, glancing up at him as if asking if he was planning on hovering in the doorway all morning.

"Sorry," he said, stepping out of her way. "Are you okay?" he asked, trying not to let his feelings for her get in the way of a normal conversation but something certainly seemed to be wrong with her.

"Mm, why would anything be wrong?" she asked, almost snapping at him and he felt rather taken aback. He had only been trying to be nice to her after all.

"Albus said you were ill yesterday..." he responded as he followed her over to the table and sat in his usual seat. She sat down opposite him again, just as she had done a few days before.

"Oh, yeah, that," she said, frowning and shaking her head. "I was just avoiding someone," she frowned again. "But seeing as he won't be here today i thought I'd come and keep you company," she added, smiling a little at him. She had often seen him looking lonely at Order meetings, after all.

"Why in the world would you do that?" he asked as he had never expected her to _willingly_ put up with him.

"You helped me with Remus. You were the only one who was honest. I think you deserve to at least have some company," she responded, smiling kindly at him again as her features softened slightly.

Severus looked at her with a slightly odd expression. He was very glad she was there but why would she want to be with him when she could have been with Kingsley or Moody or someone fun? "Well, if you're sure you can put up with me glaring at everyone all day..."

Tonks laughed, "Oh, I'm sure you won't be glaring at everyone all day," she replied. "I'm sure I can find some way to make you smile," she added.

Snape rolled his eyes and half glared at her, yet he couldnt muster a full glare. He cared too much about her, "If you say so," he responded. Maybe this day wouldn't be quite so bad after all.


	11. Tuesday the 11th

The following morning, Severus awoke again in his own bed and breathed a sigh of relief. He had spent the day with Tonks the previous day and now, although he was very relieved to be away from the Order members he had been forced to spend the day with yesterday, he already missed Tonks a whole lot more than he had ever expected to. He had even begun to wonder whether she had given him some form of Amortentia but then he had remembered she was hopeless with Potions of any sort and therefore couldn't possibly have brewed a potion so complex without needing a lot of help. And besides, he doubted she would have really wanted him crawling all over her either. He wasnt exactly the most attractive or kind man, after all.

He dragged himself out of bed, feeling an unusual emptiness in the pit of his stomach. "Pull yourself together, Snape," he snarled at himself, grabbing a bowl of cold water and pouring it on his face to wake himself up more. Why did he have to have feelings for _her_? Of all the women he saw on a regular basis, she was the only one he had ever fallen for to quite this extent and he knew he needed to snap out of it.

He had lessons to teach and homework to mark and that was the only thing he was prepared to think about now, or in the immediate future. Nothing could distract him or he would be driven insane by thoughts of her.


	12. Wednesday the 12th

The following evening he was sitting alone in the Hog's Head thinking, just thinking, when Tonks appeared in his head once more. "Ugh," he mumbled as he downed the rest of his firewhisky and then demanded another from Aberforth. He was insane, really he was. Stark raving bonkers, as Minerva had called him. He sighed rather over dramatically and drank a couple of large mouthfuls of his drink. Perhaps he could drown the thoughts of her if he had enough to drink. It had never worked in the past but that didn't mean it wouldnt this time. He could hope, he supposed.

"Are you okay, Snape?" Aberforth's voice suddenly interupted his thoughts and he half glared at the man. His eyes softened again though when he remembered he was Albus' brother. He had always been kind towards him and therefore he would return the favour.

"Fine," he mumbled, another mouthful of his drink disappearing down his throat. "Just drowning thoughts," he added with another sigh.

"Thoughts, Snape?" he queried but Severus just shook his head. He wasn't about to reveal he had feelings for Nymphadora Tonks in the middle of a pub with several people who knew him around them. "Perhaps you should talk to Albus about it," he suggested, trying to be helpful.

Severus nodded a little, "Perhaps," he answered. It was a fairly reasonable thing to do really. He should have spoken to him right from the start. Falling in love with someone just wasnt the sort of thing he usually spoke to Albus, or anyone else for that matter, about. He quickly finished the rest of his drink and then got up, "I'll be back some time, as usual," he said to Aberforth before he left the room and headed back to the castle. He wouldn't speak to Albus today. Maybe one day he would do though.


	13. Thursday the 13th

When he awoke the following morning he immediately regretted having been to a pub when he knew he would have to teach the following morning. He groaned out loud, then immediately regretted it when he realised how loud it had been. He would have to brew up a hangover potion, and fast.

He went straight to his personal supply of ingredients and began to mix them together in the order he had learned as a student to avoid the effects of a hangover the morning after. It only took him a matter of a few minutes of continually stirring to get to the final result; a bright purple potion.

He grimaced as he knew he had to drink it and then he swallowed it all without thinking too much about the taste it would leave in his mouth afterwards. He glanced at the door to his classroom and gulped a little. Time to teach.

After five hours of solid teaching he was just about ready to return to the pub again but before he had a chance to do so, Albus caught him. "Severus, may I have a word with you?" he asked.

He inwardly groaned again but nodded, "Yes, Albus. Do come in," he said, retreating out of his doorway again to allow the older male inside. This would either be a lecture, a timetable chance, Albus needing help or (dare he say it) advice.

"Aberforth informed me that you needed to see me about something..." Albus said, sounding unsure of the actual subject as he hadnt been told more than that. He had assumed Aberforth had known but Severus hadn't told him.

"He thought I needed advice about something," he mumbled, deciding not to go back to the Hog's Head for a while.

"And what would that be, Severus?" Albus asked again and Severus knew he would find out sooner or later.

"I..." he frowned, "I think I'm in love with Tonks," he admitted, a flush of red coating his usually pale face.

"Oh, I know," Albus responded, causing Severus to look at the man sharply. "I didn't read your thoughts, you just don't stop staring at her," he added as he knew how much Severus hated having his thoughts read.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, the blush going an even more tomato shade of red.

Albus merely nodded and smiled at the man before him. "And she likes you too, you know," Albus smirked. It was a rare thing for him to do but he liked the feeling of power of Severus in this way for he had never felt it before. Rather than offering any more advice, he left the room to allow Severus to contemplate what to do next.


End file.
